Did You Know's - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

FOL85NatandMrsGRock · 11-20-2000, 08:01 PM

I dug up some did you knows from interviews and some other stuff...

*A lot of episodes were based from real life experiences that Charlotte Rae and the Girls eperiences. Such episodes include Death in the Family which was based off Charlotte rae's father's unexpected death (you can tell that she is relating when she is talking to natalie in the Big Fish/Little Fish ep) Under Pressure which was based off of Charlotte Rae really being diagnosed as having high blood pressure, but not totally out of control, and Dream Marriage was based off when Nancy McKeon got a marriage proposal and had a dream that night about how her furture would be with her friends if she did get married.

*Before Charlotte Rae announced that she was going to leave the show permanently, the writers planned for one of the girls to lose their virginity, but when Charlotte announced her leave from the show, the writers told the cast that they wanted to do an episode where somebody, probably Blair or Jo since they were the oldest, loosing their virginity. Everyone except Charlotte Rae agreed (Lisa later agreed with Charlotte) Charlotte said that Mrs. Garrett would most likely stop them from having sex before marriage and she strongly stated that she didnt want to ahve an episode on the show where teenagers watch and look up to the girls and think oh they are having premarrital sex so lets go have sex too. Lisa Whelchel also agreed with Charlotte Rae so the writers decided to postpone the episode until after she left so that she wouldnt have a say in it anymore.

*The students at the school that Charlotte Rae went to and met Mindy Cohn, gave almost all the ideas for the 1st and 2nd season and some of the 3rd season. Some ideas that were used were, sexuality questioning, sex education classes, drugs, competition between friend, natural disasters, adoption, dieting, divorsed parents, faking IDs, alcohol, marriage, rape, shoplifting, bad reputaion, and suicide.

*The writers often asked the cast for how they thought their character woudl react to certain things since they had the best perspective on their characters, and if there was an episode that one of the cast members didnt want to appear in they would simply try to cast them as little as possible in that episode.

*In the Episode, A Man in the Attic, Blair changes from her old hair do to her 80s hairstyle in the middle of the episode. And in the episode, Two Guys from Appleton, 4 episodes before A Man in the Attic, Blair already had her 80s hair style. A mystery or just a simple case of bad timing?

*Charlotte Rae on screen played a housemother in the first season, and school dieticion in the 2nd through 4th season, but off screen Charlotte often went back to her role as housemother to the 4 teenage actresses and cared for the girls as if they were her real life daughters. This bond often was shown on screen and made it seem real that Mrs. Garrett cared for Jo, Blair, Natalie, and Tootie, which the character did. But the actress Charlotte Rae also cared for Nancy, Lisa, Mindy, and Kim. That is why you always see her staring and smiling at the girls for no specific reason and always wanting to hug the girls (many of the times they werent necessarily suppsoed to hug at that moment but they did) This just proves that the relationship between them all was similar to wath the relationship was suppsoed to be on screen.

(you gotta include thsi one!! its really funny and great!!!)
*The girls often woudl swear at themselves if they messed up a line or made a mistake ever since season 2 when jo joined the cast. Charlotte Rae would sometimes get mad at them and start shouting at them for swearing since they were teenagers and shouldnt be speeking in that way, especially around adults becuase you dont swear in front of your parents. The girls often tried to hold back and not swear when they woudl mess up, just to please her, but as they got older they said it more and more since they were more able to than before. Sometimes things with swearing would work their way into the scripts and they woudl have the girls say hell or damn. Charlotte Rae didnt think it was right to have the girls swear when they were only teenagers, but it was apart of tv and she had to live with it. The main reason she didnt liek so much swearing on the show is becuase she didnt want to be known as the early show "All In The Family" for its swearing. But one confrentational event came up in season 5. When the writers watned Mrs. Garrett to swear at Jo, she deeply despised the thought. In the episode "Next Door," the script called for her to say hell while shouting at Jo. It took her a lot hard practice to get it just right, they did the take about a billion times becuase Jo could not stop laughing when she would start saying it becuase Charlotte Rae usually yelled at Nancy for saying it. When Nancy finally got it down and wouldn't laugh when the time came for her to say it, Lisa woudl crack up laughing, she couldn't stop after that so they changed the scene and had her leave the room. After that episode Charlotte Rae no longer gave the girls grief over swearing at themselves and it started to grow on her and eventually came from her as well as the girls.

*The episode "Sex Symbol" was a real life issue for Mindy Cohn when she went out with her boyfriend he told everybody at her private school they had sex and when her friends made fun of her, she didnt bother to clear things up until they got out of hand.

*Todd Hollowell who played Zack, the guy who watned to go skinny dipping with tootie in the "Dear Me" episode, also played long time boyfriend Jeff who couldnt read and who tootie almost had sex with.

*In the episode "My Boyfriends Back" the writters didnt know what to have Mrs. Garrett say in a pep talk she woudl have with Tootie about having sex, so they asked Charlotte Rae who also had no idea what to say, she tried to think of what she would say in real life but she didnt know that either, so they decided to cast her as not getting involved.

TJ · 11-20-2000, 10:00 PM

Thanks for posting these! Do you remember where you found them? I'd like to read the entire articles/interviews. Please post the addresses if you have them..

FOL85NatandMrsGRock · 11-21-2000, 07:17 PM

i dont know any specific websites or interviews or anything, i just remember reading them from things i read on websites or even talking to people who have seen a live performance of FOL, people who were in the studio audience... I have GREAT ones from then!! if i get the time i'll post soem swearing incidents since those seem to be the most that people remember...

who woudltn remember that!! being in the studio audience really gives you the chance to see their true personalities!!! hehe... they should have kept some of these thigns on the show instead of editing them out!!! hehe

lovefol · 11-22-2000, 01:49 PM

THOSE WERE REALLY COOL PLEASE POST MORE

------------------
You take the good you take the bad you take them both and there you have the facts of life!!!

80s Dude · 03-10-2020, 02:36 PM

I wonder if what the original poster said about that the producers went to Westlake to get ideas for plots in season 1 and that Charlotte didn't like the girls swearing were true?

I believe that Charlotte didn't like swearing. People of her generation were dead set against swearing, especially if it's females that do it.

'80sSitcoms · 03-10-2020, 02:54 PM

Yet another thread dug up from 20 years ago (wow lol).

Most of these sound suspect. Notice there's not even any documentation provided.

valentina warner · 03-10-2020, 08:57 PM

After reading about what Fol85 wrote about CHARLOTTE RAE and her co stars (even though it was aged ago she posted it) i am more and more convinced that i was right:

CHARLOTTE RAE and the girls DID have a special bond on and off the show, she was a surrogate mother to them and not the 'cold and distant manager' some of the other people have been posting lately.
Chemistry doesn't lie, and i totally believe that CHARLOTTE RAE had a lot of MRS G in her...
Does anyone disagree? Agree?

RetroGuy2000 · 03-10-2020, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valentina warner

After reading about what Fol85 wrote about CHARLOTTE RAE and her co stars (even though it was aged ago she posted it) i am more and more convinced that i was right:

CHARLOTTE RAE and the girls DID have a special bond on and off the show, she was a surrogate mother to them and not the 'cold and distant manager' some of the other people have been posting lately.
Chemistry doesn't lie, and i totally believe that CHARLOTTE RAE had a lot of MRS G in her...
Does anyone disagree? Agree?

Before watching "Behind Closed Doors", I would have disagreed with you. But after seeing the interviews with Julie and Julie Anne, I think I'm inclined to agree with you, despite what the Core Four and Geri have said.

Which feels very weird.

Lorimar Television · 03-10-2020, 11:56 PM

My guess is that Charlotte connected with the girls in the first season, then when they had the cast purge she realized how expendable everyone was and probably decided to be more professional and not as attached to the girls. So the core four are prob remembering those years more than the first where she was more affectionate, while the lost girls really only have the first season to go by.

RetroGuy2000 · 03-11-2020, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorimar Television

My guess is that Charlotte connected with the girls in the first season, then when they had the cast purge she realized how expendable everyone was and probably decided to be more professional and not as attached to the girls. So the core four are prob remembering those years more than the first where she was more affectionate, while the lost girls really only have the first season to go by.

That seems like a possibility. How else do we explain Julie and Julie Anne talking about Charlotte being a good mother hen, while the Core Four say she was only professional during those years, while Geri says she was alternately accepted/rejected by Charlotte? It feels backwards.

valentina warner · 03-11-2020, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That seems like a possibility. How else do we explain Julie and Julie Anne talking about Charlotte being a good mother hen, while the Core Four say she was only professional during those years, while Geri says she was alternately accepted/rejected by Charlotte? It feels backwards.

I don't know what to believe anymore and the whole thing is very confusing: i kind of have to agree with fol85, cos i have read online many different 'interpretations', about how CHARLOTTE RAE was motherly to the girls on and off screen, but then some people say that the core of 4 said otherwise.

Then, i read that LISA WHELCHEL tells us, how she was the typical 'rebellious teenager' towards CHARLOTTE RAE at the start (exactly like on the first season hee hee!) but then they became really close once they got to know each other, and have been friends for almost 40 years.
NANCY MKEON also tells us, how CHARLOTTE RAE was her 'angel' to guide her through the show and remained closed for almost 40 years.
MINDY COHN tells us, how CHARLOTTE RAE was her role model during the show and onward.
And
KIM FIELDS tells us, how much she loved CHARLOTTE RAE and what a wonderful person she was and how much she learned from her.
So, my conclusion is: what's the TRUE????

80s Dude · 03-11-2020, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valentina warner

I don't know what to believe anymore and the whole thing is very confusing: i kind of have to agree with fol85, cos i have read online many different 'interpretations', about how CHARLOTTE RAE was motherly to the girls on and off screen, but then some people say that the core of 4 said otherwise.

Then, i read that LISA WHELCHEL tells us, how she was the typical 'rebellious teenager' towards CHARLOTTE RAE at the start (exactly like on the first season hee hee!) but then they became really close once they got to know each other, and have been friends for almost 40 years.
NANCY MKEON also tells us, how CHARLOTTE RAE was her 'angel' to guide her through the show and remained closed for almost 40 years.
MINDY COHN tells us, how CHARLOTTE RAE was her role model during the show and onward.
And
KIM FIELDS tells us, how much she loved CHARLOTTE RAE and what a wonderful person she was and how much she learned from her.
So, my conclusion is: what's the TRUE????

Different people had different experiences with Charlotte Rae. Just like kids in the same family would have different experience with their parents.

RetroGuy2000 · 03-11-2020, 06:07 PM

All I know for a fact, now, is that the stray apostrophe in this thread title distresses me.

valentina warner · 03-11-2020, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

All I know for a fact, now, is that the stray apostrophe in this thread title distresses me.

'DID YOU KNOW?' (and why does it distresses you?)

RetroGuy2000 · 03-11-2020, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valentina warner

'DID YOU KNOW?' (and why does it distresses you?)

11-20-2000, 08:01 PM	#1
FOL85NatandMrsGRock The Lovable Sarah Senior Member Join Date: Nov 07, 2000 Location: Wisconsin (Same Place Charlotte's From and where That 70's Show takes place!) .... Wish I was in Mayfield USA! Posts: 1,770	Did You Know's I dug up some did you knows from interviews and some other stuff... A lot of episodes were based from real life experiences that Charlotte Rae and the Girls eperiences. Such episodes include Death in the Family which was based off Charlotte rae's father's unexpected death (you can tell that she is relating when she is talking to natalie in the Big Fish/Little Fish ep) Under Pressure which was based off of Charlotte Rae really being diagnosed as having high blood pressure, but not totally out of control, and Dream Marriage was based off when Nancy McKeon got a marriage proposal and had a dream that night about how her furture would be with her friends if she did get married. Before Charlotte Rae announced that she was going to leave the show permanently, the writers planned for one of the girls to lose their virginity, but when Charlotte announced her leave from the show, the writers told the cast that they wanted to do an episode where somebody, probably Blair or Jo since they were the oldest, loosing their virginity. Everyone except Charlotte Rae agreed (Lisa later agreed with Charlotte) Charlotte said that Mrs. Garrett would most likely stop them from having sex before marriage and she strongly stated that she didnt want to ahve an episode on the show where teenagers watch and look up to the girls and think oh they are having premarrital sex so lets go have sex too. Lisa Whelchel also agreed with Charlotte Rae so the writers decided to postpone the episode until after she left so that she wouldnt have a say in it anymore. The students at the school that Charlotte Rae went to and met Mindy Cohn, gave almost all the ideas for the 1st and 2nd season and some of the 3rd season. Some ideas that were used were, sexuality questioning, sex education classes, drugs, competition between friend, natural disasters, adoption, dieting, divorsed parents, faking IDs, alcohol, marriage, rape, shoplifting, bad reputaion, and suicide. The writers often asked the cast for how they thought their character woudl react to certain things since they had the best perspective on their characters, and if there was an episode that one of the cast members didnt want to appear in they would simply try to cast them as little as possible in that episode. In the Episode, A Man in the Attic, Blair changes from her old hair do to her 80s hairstyle in the middle of the episode. And in the episode, Two Guys from Appleton, 4 episodes before A Man in the Attic, Blair already had her 80s hair style. A mystery or just a simple case of bad timing? Charlotte Rae on screen played a housemother in the first season, and school dieticion in the 2nd through 4th season, but off screen Charlotte often went back to her role as housemother to the 4 teenage actresses and cared for the girls as if they were her real life daughters. This bond often was shown on screen and made it seem real that Mrs. Garrett cared for Jo, Blair, Natalie, and Tootie, which the character did. But the actress Charlotte Rae also cared for Nancy, Lisa, Mindy, and Kim. That is why you always see her staring and smiling at the girls for no specific reason and always wanting to hug the girls (many of the times they werent necessarily suppsoed to hug at that moment but they did) This just proves that the relationship between them all was similar to wath the relationship was suppsoed to be on screen. (you gotta include thsi one!! its really funny and great!!!) The girls often woudl swear at themselves if they messed up a line or made a mistake ever since season 2 when jo joined the cast. Charlotte Rae would sometimes get mad at them and start shouting at them for swearing since they were teenagers and shouldnt be speeking in that way, especially around adults becuase you dont swear in front of your parents. The girls often tried to hold back and not swear when they woudl mess up, just to please her, but as they got older they said it more and more since they were more able to than before. Sometimes things with swearing would work their way into the scripts and they woudl have the girls say hell or damn. Charlotte Rae didnt think it was right to have the girls swear when they were only teenagers, but it was apart of tv and she had to live with it. The main reason she didnt liek so much swearing on the show is becuase she didnt want to be known as the early show "All In The Family" for its swearing. But one confrentational event came up in season 5. When the writers watned Mrs. Garrett to swear at Jo, she deeply despised the thought. In the episode "Next Door," the script called for her to say hell while shouting at Jo. It took her a lot hard practice to get it just right, they did the take about a billion times becuase Jo could not stop laughing when she would start saying it becuase Charlotte Rae usually yelled at Nancy for saying it. When Nancy finally got it down and wouldn't laugh when the time came for her to say it, Lisa woudl crack up laughing, she couldn't stop after that so they changed the scene and had her leave the room. After that episode Charlotte Rae no longer gave the girls grief over swearing at themselves and it started to grow on her and eventually came from her as well as the girls. The episode "Sex Symbol" was a real life issue for Mindy Cohn when she went out with her boyfriend he told everybody at her private school they had sex and when her friends made fun of her, she didnt bother to clear things up until they got out of hand. Todd Hollowell who played Zack, the guy who watned to go skinny dipping with tootie in the "Dear Me" episode, also played long time boyfriend Jeff who couldnt read and who tootie almost had sex with. In the episode "My Boyfriends Back" the writters didnt know what to have Mrs. Garrett say in a pep talk she woudl have with Tootie about having sex, so they asked Charlotte Rae who also had no idea what to say, she tried to think of what she would say in real life but she didnt know that either, so they decided to cast her as not getting involved.

03-10-2020, 02:54 PM	#6
'80sSitcoms Member Forum Star Join Date: Jan 30, 2013 Posts: 12,474	Yet another thread dug up from 20 years ago (wow lol). Most of these sound suspect. Notice there's not even any documentation provided.
	__________________ "The Facts of Life" - re-imagined episode guide with all 8 girls in all 9 seasons

03-10-2020, 11:56 PM	#9
Lorimar Television Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 06, 2007 Posts: 7,034	My guess is that Charlotte connected with the girls in the first season, then when they had the cast purge she realized how expendable everyone was and probably decided to be more professional and not as attached to the girls. So the core four are prob remembering those years more than the first where she was more affectionate, while the lost girls really only have the first season to go by.
	__________________ Some of my favorite theme songs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-e...89CsiJpV_irnNw

11-20-2000, 10:00 PM	#2
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,676	Thanks for posting these! Do you remember where you found them? I'd like to read the entire articles/interviews. Please post the addresses if you have them..

11-21-2000, 07:17 PM	#3
FOL85NatandMrsGRock The Lovable Sarah Senior Member Join Date: Nov 07, 2000 Location: Wisconsin (Same Place Charlotte's From and where That 70's Show takes place!) .... Wish I was in Mayfield USA! Posts: 1,770	i dont know any specific websites or interviews or anything, i just remember reading them from things i read on websites or even talking to people who have seen a live performance of FOL, people who were in the studio audience... I have GREAT ones from then!! if i get the time i'll post soem swearing incidents since those seem to be the most that people remember... who woudltn remember that!! being in the studio audience really gives you the chance to see their true personalities!!! hehe... they should have kept some of these thigns on the show instead of editing them out!!! hehe

11-22-2000, 01:49 PM	#4
lovefol Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 16, 2000 Location: Greenville SC United States Posts: 165	THOSE WERE REALLY COOL PLEASE POST MORE ------------------ You take the good you take the bad you take them both and there you have the facts of life!!!

03-10-2020, 02:36 PM	#5
80s Dude Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 24, 2019 Location: Toronto Posts: 3,811	I wonder if what the original poster said about that the producers went to Westlake to get ideas for plots in season 1 and that Charlotte didn't like the girls swearing were true? I believe that Charlotte didn't like swearing. People of her generation were dead set against swearing, especially if it's females that do it.

03-10-2020, 08:57 PM	#7
valentina warner Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 31, 2020 Location: The Uk Posts: 3,154	After reading about what Fol85 wrote about CHARLOTTE RAE and her co stars (even though it was aged ago she posted it) i am more and more convinced that i was right: CHARLOTTE RAE and the girls DID have a special bond on and off the show, she was a surrogate mother to them and not the 'cold and distant manager' some of the other people have been posting lately. Chemistry doesn't lie, and i totally believe that CHARLOTTE RAE had a lot of MRS G in her... Does anyone disagree? Agree?

03-11-2020, 06:07 PM	#13
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	All I know for a fact, now, is that the stray apostrophe in this thread title distresses me.